Deactivated WW2 Vickers Machine Gun marked to the Royal Artillery

This is a 1918 dated Vickers MKI Machine gun with tripod. The gun was made at the Vickers, Erith factory in Kent and dates to 1918 as the year of manufacture being one of only 1284 made in the K prefix serial range. Eriths production figures from October to December 1918 show that serial numbers K1 to 429 were completed, with this gun being number K396 from that batch. The barrel jacket has two very distinctive impact marks consistent with shrapnel strikes. At the front of the jacket are the initials R.A. 6.35 over stamped R.A. 9. 37 being issued twice within the Royal Artillery in June 1935 & September 1937. During this turbulent period as Nazi Germany geared up for war, the British Government were responding to this rising threat by increasing armourments and weapons production. The refurbishment of WW1 Vickers guns was priorities with all availble guns put back into service.

The Royal Artillery were dispatched to France in 1939 attached to the BEF after Britain declared war with Nazi Germany.

Deactivated with a working action.